Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 12, 2016 – Italy’s Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai progressed to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games quarterfinals after they defeated compatriots Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula 2-0 (21-12, 23-21) at the Copacabana Beach Arena on Friday.
Here’s what they said after the match…
Paolo Nicolai, Italy
“One of our strange characteristics is we play our best when it is all or nothing. We found ourselves in such a situation tonight, but thankfully we are used to this situation. Therefore, it helped us keep our heads up and to move forward. It is something we have to do from here on in.
“We are here to go as far as possible. I don’t know if that is possible, but we will give our all and see how we get on.”
Daniele Lupo, Italy
“This year is completely different to our first Olympic experience. We have played really well and that is due to the work that we have put in over our five years together.”
Adrian Carambula, Italy
“I had no energy in the first set and wasn’t able to eat anything before the match. I don’t think we lost because of this, but because we made mistakes and weren’t able to recover from them.
“I am one of those that has the mind-set that no-one says ‘that guy played in the Olympics’, they say ‘that guy ended on top of the podium’. History shows if you win a medal and we didn’t win a medal and I’m not happy with it.”